Wearable Head-Up Display Harmonization with Removable Inertial Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current head-up display systems for aircraft require lengthy harmonization procedures due to the removable nature of inertial equipment and imprecise heading information, especially when transitioning between different aircraft platforms, which complicates the alignment of piloting information with the real outside world.

Innovation Solution

A dual harmonization method integrating an inertial attitude device and camera within an augmented inertial equipment module, which takes series of sightings through a semi-transparent display to calculate relative orientations using Euler angles, allowing for quick and precise alignment of the display system with the aircraft platform.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the inertial equipment is made removable and easily movable, then the adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but the harmonization time and alignment precision deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremovability of inertial equipmentVSAvoidharmonization time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing transformation matrices that define the geometric relationships between the inertial equipment, display system, and aircraft platform. These pre-computed matrices enable rapid harmonization when the equipment is moved or removed, eliminating the need for time-consuming real-time calibration procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces mechanical alignment procedures with computational methods. Instead of physically adjusting and manually aligning the inertial equipment with the display system, the invention uses mathematical transformation matrices computed from known geometric relationships to automatically harmonize the coordinate systems, significantly reducing harmonization time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the inertial equipment is made removable and easily movable, then the adaptability is improved, but the alignment precision deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveremovability of inertial equipmentVSAvoidalignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a virtual model of the physical system by computing transformation matrices that represent the geometric relationships between components. This virtual model allows precise alignment to be achieved through calculation rather than physical measurement, maintaining high precision even when equipment is moved or removed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Device complexity

If conventional inertial navigation systems are not equipped, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of aircraft attitude deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinertial navigation system complexityVSAvoidaircraft attitude measurement

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the inertial attitude device with the head-up display system into an integrated harmonization system. By combining these previously separate systems and computing their relative geometric relationships, the invention achieves precise aircraft attitude measurement without requiring a complex standalone inertial navigation system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3502845B1Method and system for dual harmonisation of a worn head-up display system with a removable inertial attitude device in the cockpit

Publication Date: 2022.03.30 THALES SA

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AI summary

A dual harmonization method for a wearable head-up display system to make the display of aircraft piloting information on a display conform to the external real world comprises: - a step (206) of acquiring N head posture detection measurements K̂l by a series of sightings Vi corresponding to images oriented along orientations Oi of the same photograph taken by a camera, fixed and aligned with the inertial attitude control device D3, then - a step (208) of joint calculation of the relative orientation matrices M01 and M23 as joint solutions of the system of dual harmonization equations Ûi = Ĝ · K̂i · D̂, i varying from 1 to N, in which Ûl is the transpose of the relative orientation matrix M(image(i)/0) of the image(i) of rank i with respect to the display D0, with M01 and M23 equal respectively to the matrices right and left D̂ and Ĝ.A wearable head-up display system is configured to implement said dual harmonization process.